Bancroft-Sudbury 2006 Trip

Bancroft-Sudbury Field Trip: Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2006

The Mineralogy and Petrology classes combined forces to explore Ontario geology and collect samples for class research projects. The group spent a day collecting exceptional mineral specimens in the Bancroft and Quadeville areas. Upon arrival in Bancroft, we visited the Bancroft mineral museum and then collected specimens from the rock dumps of the famous Goulding-Keene Quarry. After dinner we returned to the rock pile with a portable ultraviolet light to collect fluorescent mineral samples!

The following morning, we traveled to Quadeville, Ontario to visit the famous Beryl Pit pegmatite (below). Students had their hands full of fabulous specimens of both common and exotic mineral species. Their job was to make a representative collection from the pegmatite and identify the minerals found, using several lab techniques.

After lunch, we traveled west, to Sudbury, Ontario. About 1.85 billion years ago, a giant meteorite hit this area and created one of the largest impact structures in the world! This impact was responsible for the emplacement of some of the richest iron-nickel-copper sulfide ores found in the world and generated a distinctive suite of igneous rock types that the petrology class collected for their research project. We visited the Big Nickel at the INCO Big Nickel Mine for a photo opportunity (below).

Later, we visited the famous Onaping Formation, a mixture of impact generated melt and large fragments of fractured crust. The wet weather couldn't dampen the spirits of this hardy group.

While exploring the Onaping Megabreccia, we took in the beauty of Onaping Falls (below).